


Plan H

by MajorEnglishEsquire



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s08e02 What's Up Tiger Mommy?, Inspired by Art, M/M, Purgatory, Season/Series 08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-20
Updated: 2015-01-20
Packaged: 2018-03-08 07:05:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3200024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MajorEnglishEsquire/pseuds/MajorEnglishEsquire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Canon divergent in Purgatory from <a href="http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/index.php?title=8.02_What%27s_Up,_Tiger_Mommy%3F">08.02 What's Up Tiger Mommy?</a></p>
<p>Inspired by <a href="http://unbefreakinlivable.tumblr.com/post/35806881515/also-have-a-quick-smooch-because-807-is-all">this art</a> by <a href="http://unbefreakinlivable.tumblr.com/">unbefreakinlivable</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Plan H

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the rights to these characters, setting, show, etc. No harm is intended. I do not own the art that inspired this fic. [This fantastic art](http://unbefreakinlivable.tumblr.com/post/35806881515/also-have-a-quick-smooch-because-807-is-all) is by [unbefreakinlivable](http://unbefreakinlivable.tumblr.com/).

Some sort of damned unholy thing fakes a bird call far to the north. Well, it's a fake bird call or their version of a scream. Nothing skitters from the underbrush as Benny and Dean march on. And everything living is clothed in stained rags. So Cas looks the color of stone, like some slightly-tan boulder at the bank of the river. They come upon him so suddenly Dean's ready to swerve to the right again, to follow a trail but then his mind catches up to what his eyes are seeing.

No, that really is Cas. Crouched, hands dipping into the water to scoop it up.

He calls his name and scrambles down the sinking slope of mud toward him and Cas looks either stoic or just slightly unhappy. Not much changed, then.

The way he turns to look at them makes Dean think maybe Cas thought it was a prayer echoing in his head. Like he wasn't prepared for the real thing to be standing in front of him because he hadn't in months. Because Dean's been praying for nearly a year solid and that probably means Dean's been intruding on his thoughts almost as much as Cas has been on his own mind. But his eyes weren't really looking. Just sweeping the area, wondering how far out they were from each other.

Until Dean actually clatters over the stones and right up to him.

It's solid for Dean, though. The entire time. His sight has been so empty of this one thing he's been looking for that he smiles, satisfied, hell-- happy. Completely happy. Relieved. Lighter in a way that needs a tether so he walks up and attaches it to Castiel himself, grabbing hold, taking Cas in his arms and grinning, grinning all the while.

It's a little weird. In a way that Cas always is, he supposes, but still strange. Cas doesn't move. Doesn't raise his arms or really return the greeting at all. It's about what he expects from Cas, it's not like he spent the whole time idealizing him into someone new. Someone he isn't. But the stiff way he stands, hands at his sides, makes Dean wonder how angeled-up he is at present. Maybe not at full power or something. Maybe so beat up he's stiff and pained and bruised from head to toe and being touched hurts.

"It's good to see you," he says and "I want you to meet somebody" he says, and he wants to add, 'Now, come on, we're going home,' but the reunion kind of slips from his fingers.

"Why'd you bail on Dean?" Benny interrupts.

And, much as he trusts him now, it ain't really his fucking place to be calling Cas out like that. Cas wouldn't have left him by choice, they've been hacking apart his pursuers this whole time.

"The way I hear it, you two hit monster land, and _hot wings_ here took off. I figure he owes you some backstory."

"Look, we were surrounded, okay? Some freak jumped Cas. Obviously, he kicked its ass, right?"

"No," Cas says. Just like that. Just like 'no.'

"What?"

"I ran away."

"You _ran away._ "

"I had to."

Like that's just something he'd fucking _do_. He didn't _have to_. What the--

" _That's_ your excuse for leaving me with those gorilla wolves? You bailed out and, what, went fucking camping?" He bites out. "I prayed to you, Cas. Every. Night."

"I know," Cas agrees like he's just dismissing what that means. If he could fucking hear Dean's prayers every night in this goddamn pit, like Dean had hoped and expected-- maybe he wasn't able--

"You know and you didn't- what the hell's wrong with you?" It must have been _something_. He must have been trapped at some point or unable to-- Not just _ran away_. It doesn't fit right. Maybe Cas doesn't feel the same way about their family as Dean does but he knows better. That's the point: he knows better. He knows they would have needed each other to stay in one piece. And? He just bailed?

"I am an angel in a land of abominations. There have been things hunting me from the moment we arrived."

Fucking fuck- "Join the club!"

"These are _not_ just monsters, Dean. They're _Leviathan_. I have a price on my head, and I've been trying to stay one step ahead of them, to– to keep them away from you." Cas says. "That's why I ran."

Dean breathes that in for a second. Self-sacrificing bastard. He can't just go around making these decisions for the both of them.

"Just leave me," Cas pleads.

Benny jumps on it, "Sounds like a plan," he starts.

"No," Dean cuts Benny off, cuts right through Cas. He steps in because Cas knows he can't run as fast as Dean can. He won't bolt if he doesn't have enough of a head start. He's too smart for it. "That was a dumbass move and I'm gonna forget about it 'cause you're here now, but don't pull that shit again," Dean demands. "Don't think that you get to give up on us again," he motions between them with his blade. "We're getting out of here, Cas. We're going home."

"Dean," he stands firm and doesn't make a move to turn. He knows he won't get far. "I can't."

" _We_ can," Dean moves in closer. " _We_ will, Benny knows how, and I'll drag you if I gotta."

Benny 'tsks' behind him. "Still donno if an angel can squeeze through," he cautions.

Dean doesn't care. "We'll figure it out. Cas. Cas, I need you. If Leviathan want to take a shot at us, let 'em try. We ganked those bitches once before. We can do it again." He nearly succeeds in edging all the way in again. Close enough to catch, just as it looks like Cas is losing the will to turn and bolt.

"It's too dangerous," one more token objection.

"Let me bottom-line it for you," Dean's close enough to whisper: "I'm not leaving here without you."

"I know you think you're not," Cas agrees, at least, with Dean's pig-headedness.

"I'm not," Dean reaches up to brush at Castiel's cheek again. It only makes him look like he wants to turn tail and run. His eyes go a little wide and Dean twigs to the truth then: he's still capable of kicking ass and destroying everything in front of him, single-handed. He's not in pain, he's trying to break them apart. He didn't get beat up, he cleared a path, for Dean, of everything but stragglers. Lone survivors who he didn't feel like destroying. He can do all the killing on his own but he can't do the trusting. Can't really _live_.

He's stock still because he wants Dean to think he ain't moving. Wants him to think he doesn't care enough to fold into his arms yet he'll run to protect him. Let Dean _go_ in order to _keep_ him.

Dean'll fucking well yank him by the hand every step of the way if he's gotta. He moves into Cas in one more step, against his wooden resistance and is careful of the length of the stone blade when he throws his arm around him again. Crowds in and kisses him on the mouth.

It's gross, truth be told. Both of them parched and blood-flecked. Tasting like the dirt they've been tossed into during fights. Dean's face, scraped raw though he's tried to be careful when shaving with his blades, is sticky and pained against the shaggy growth on Cas's face.

It's gross and it doesn't matter. He pulls Cas's face toward him and if Castiel's hand had meant to push him back, it loses track as soon as it touches down and he clings to Dean's jacket. Yanks him closer and opens his mouth for Dean to kiss into. Cas pulls, he doesn't push. Cas would crawl up under his shirt given the chance and no matter how much they'd rather this have happened under better circumstances, there's no mistake that the sweetness of reunion translates even to the blood-spattered underside of reality. Even in Purgatory there's room for Dean to prove to Cas what he means to him.

It's unnerving to pull back and see Cas's eyes still open and staring at him, but he likely doesn't have a real great grasp of kissing etiquette. And he's still about as thirsty for the sight of Dean as Dean had been to find him. Not that he'd admit it. He's probably still trying to find the words that will send them each in separate directions.

"You get me? You understand? You're coming with," Dean says, breathy and swaying to rest his head against Cas's.

He can't hide. Cas drifts close, between breaths, lips still parting, drawn to kiss again, can't resist the draw now that he's so close. It's reluctant, but he nods against Dean's forehead. "I understand."

Dean holds him for another long moment before they let Purgatory pluck at their seams again and try to pick them apart.


End file.
